The Sun And Moon
by Silver-Senchou
Summary: He was told that Pawns were different to Humans; that they do not carry the same emotions as Humans do, but how could he not fall for her, when she was the one that stood by his side through pain and suffering? Come and join the adventure, and read a story of how Pawn and Master triumph over the greatest of obstacles.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

They were caught. They weren't expecting to be this deep in the forest this time of day, soon the last glimmer of sun light would fade back under the sky, and they would fall prey to the dark of night. Goblins, wolves, bandits and all manner of beasts roam this land, and if they were unfortunate enough, they would fall prey to these parties and any one of them could easily outnumber the party of two.

Earlier that day, the Arisen had bought supplies ready to take on the quest they were to embark. They were told by the friendly inn keep that there was a hefty reward for those that could bring to them 10 bottles of Healing Water and there were only 2 known places that the Arisen knew of and that was Bitter Black Isle or travel west past the ruins of Aernst Castle and far south of The Shadow Fort.

It would be an easier quest to take if they travelled far west instead of risking the dangerous of Bitter Black Isle and if there was another healing spring, he had not travelled far as of yet. He knew although it would be easier to travel west, Gransys was still a dangerous place, and if they had a higher chance at succeeding, they would need to take stock, and brush on the skills that they already possess.

"Are you alright Master?" A white haired beauty probably no older than her early to mid-twenties spoke in a soft and gentle tone.

They were both sat on a table farthest from the door, the sun just rising painting the sky with a pale blue, as the sun painted the clouds with a deep orange plunging the landscape with a rich pink and purple hue that couldn't be beaten in all of Gransys.

"I told you to stop calling me Master" A dark haired man spoke in an exasperated tone, his age was probably no more than late teens or early twenties. "It doesn't sit right with me and not only that, people keep staring at us."

"But Master, people always stare at us." She dead panned, as if to emphasise her point, she looks over to another patron, sitting just opposite them, staring daggers at the two and quickly turning away as if they weren't just staring at them.

"Beside the point, I want you to call me by name, instead of Master."

"If that is what you wish Master, I will call you Luna."

"Thank you, now I need you to stick close to me in case of danger, I don't want us to get separated. It'll only be us two for this quest, we'll move faster that way."

She bowed her head in understanding, "Yes Mas- Luna,"

Luna smiled broadly being called by name. It wasn't long that they've been on this journey together, but they have been through a lot. See, her people are an oddity in these lands, but common enough to be given a name and with certain services. She was known as a Pawn. They were sell swords, mercenaries or myrmidons whatever you want to call them. They will embark on quests with villagers, soldiers, caravans and were paid for their services, but were too reliant on orders to be fully effective, but always managed to get the job done, or so he's told.

They even have their own guild aptly named as 'The Pawn Guild' where there is a master of Pawns and it is his duty to guide and help wayward pawns into Gran Soren. The first time the two had met was an odd occurrence, none that you would normally see in an everyday fishing village.

But it was soon time to head out. He could not afford to reminisce any further.

Luna motions to stand, grabbing with him his sword and shield. "Let's go Corona."

The silver haired woman stood up to follow, heaving her-self a shield and sword quietly following her Master. "Coming,"

The two leave the inn, once more garnering stares as they leave. Probably it was because of the oddity that was a pawn or it was the armour and gear that stood out, leaving much to be desired when adventurers travel to Gran Soren. Whatever it was, Corona was right. They attract attention where ever they go.

They leave side by side, passing the markets, onto the main street leaving towards the gate, finally leaving the streets of Gran Soren and onto the main road, into the ruins of once a larger part of the city.

They head down into the ruins, wary of bandits, since they like to camp there and prey on unsuspecting caravans and patrolmen. It was a hard life for a city guard, one that most men do not envy.

Luckily for the two, there weren't any bandits on the road leaving Gran Soren; however, there was still a threat in the form a small red skinned beast.

"Goblins!" Corona cried, drawing her sword and shield as she headed up the steep hill, towards the threat. Luna quickly moved forward into a stance, drawing his sword and shield following behind Corona.

The beasts looked high into the sky, sniffing the air as their heads pointed towards the two incoming warriors, baring their teeth as snarls and growls echoed the entrance of the mountain pass.

"Hoo-mans!" One Goblin bellowed as he ran towards prospective breakfast.

"Get them!" Another howled as he pointed and drew his rusty blade.

Due to their small stature, they were fast on their feet, quick and nimble but they were poorly trained, if at all, and would try to swing heavy easily readable attacks.

Luna blocked the first incoming attacks as the little red blight staggered backwards, stunned for a moment, allowing Luna to bring up his blade into a downward strike slicing the bastard in two, as a deep dark purple spurted from him, covering the ground in Goblin blood.

Corona was facing her own battle as two others emerged from the pass, their blunt weaponry ready to bludgeon a wary traveller if they were unfortunate.

She quickly moved in front of one, crashing her wooden shield into the creatures face, pushing him to the ground then quickly moved to her left where the other one stood, ready to strike blocking the creatures attack with her sword, kicking the mangled creature away plunging her sword into the shield stricken Goblin as he yelped in pain, her sword buried deep into its chest.

She kicked the corpse from her blade as she prepared to face the last one.

The Goblin started to hit himself on the head, psyching himself up to kill the wretched human in front of him. He screamed out a war cry as he jumped high crashing his club down into her shield, its weight knocking Corona off her balance as the Goblin took this chance to barrage her full of attacks. She was losing her stance, as she was pushed further and further back, the Goblin unrelenting in his fury.

Luna saw her struggle and rushed to her aid, as he smashed his shield into the Goblin knocking him to the ground, where Luna finished it off, with a clean swoop of his sword.

He looked back to see Corona catch her breath as she sheathed her sword.

"Thank you." She simply said.

"It seems the danger has past. Let's go."

They past the gated checkpoint climbing higher and higher along the narrow mountain pass, spotting a lonely cottage as they turned the corner. How anyone could live up here is a mystery, but none the less, there was smoke coming from the chimney.

They kept moving along the jagged cliffs, a misstep could send you spiralling down a sharp slope, ending your life in a heartbeat. Traversing through the mountain was no easy task, apart from the beasts calling this home, landslides could catch any traveller off guard, and some cases were purposely perpetrated by bandits.

The sun took its place high in the sky, signalling the passing of the early morning, still having the ally of time on their side, but if they were to make to make it back before night fall, they would need to pick up the pace.

The two breathed hard, weighted down by their equipment and curatives. They did have to carry a supply of restoratives if they were to succeed on their quest. That is needed for every journey, but carrying this all, was becoming a task as they grew weary of the high cliffs above. Passing through this cliff side, was treacherous because of how perilous the path seemed but once again the creatures that prowled here are numerous and just as dangerous. As if on cue, a gust of wind past the two, with an echoing screech, it reverberated along the stone walls of the steep cliff side.

"Harpies" Corona spoke in a low whisper. "Careful, they can carry you off with their wings." Corona warned.

They once had to pass through these very mountains, and they had come across Harpies before. It was on their quest of delivering the severed head of the Hydra. They carried men high into the air, taking them through the many crevices of the cliff, never to be seen again. Some were simply let go; only to fall to their deaths as gravity did the beasts work. They were scavengers mostly, but deep into their territory they will attack anything on sight.

More screeches could be heard high above as they stayed low, using the steep wall as a guide, alert of the creatures presence. It wasn't long before they spotted a nest of them.

They had the upper body of females, with feathers draping their skin, their large wings able to carry a great weight. They looked like humans, but are a malevolent force, clearly used to charm others into death.

"Master, be careful of the Harpies' song. Hearing it will cause you to slumber." Corona whispered behind me, sticking close just as I have asked.

They needed to move past them, they were picking at the scrapes of unfortunate caravans, fire still alight as they could be seen picking at fresh corpses, rummaging through whatever supplies that haven't destroyed in search of a quick meal. It looked to be a large number of men. None seem to have survived and most likely those that ran, were hunted down from the sky. It was a blood bath.

The two moved slowly, hugging the wall to their side, gripping the hilt of their swords, as they kept an eye on the beasts. They were high above them, and some were even high atop the trees, grooming themselves.

Luna knew this was bad idea. They were out in the open, with nothing to effectively combat these creatures. They carried swords, not bows and at the speed they are taking now to avoid combat, night would fall faster. They would not be in an advantageous position should they get caught in the dark, but they wouldn't be doing themselves any favours if they were to attract the Harpies attention right now.

So they kept their speed, slowly and methodically traversing through the jagged pass, hoping that they wouldn't get caught.

However, that was a daydream. They were half bird and so it wasn't hard to spot two moving prey across their own territory, out in the open, no matter how low and slow they went.

With deafening screams, the Harpies echoed first one then two but soon the whole nest was alerted.

The two looked to the other drawing their swords, using the steep cliff behind to stop flanking attacks. They fixed their eyes to the sky as they stared on at the nest of Harpies forming a swarm of bird like creatures, as they screamed and screeched ringing in their ears and in the air.

It was a frightening sight, but Luna had no time to allow fear into his heart, because the Harpies flew towards them, one by one they made an attempt to take them by their claws to snatch them into the sky.

Corona and Luna flailed their swords high, arching into the sky in the hopes of catching one of the winged beasts. It was difficult, a mess of feathers and claws came to grab them and it was almost impossible to see the path, their position overrun by the screaming of feathers and claws.

Luna called Corona to follow him as they pulled their shield above their head to block the piercing claw marks, ripping at their clothes, sparking off their armour and snipping at their skin. They tried to move as fast as possible somehow in the chaos, Corona took lead, Luna desperately keeping his eyes open looking at Corona's back.

They heard screeches of pain among their blood curdling cries as they struck some down. They flailed and blocked with sword and shield running down the winding path, unable to mount an effective offensive.

And by chance the chaotic attacks ended.

The swarm of bird like creatures subsided and disappeared out of thin air. It was like they never even attacked in force.

A soothing sound could be heard burying the cliff side, as if draping the harsh landscape with and ironic pleasantness that reminded one of home.

Its song carried into the pass, and straight into the heart of Luna, dropping his sword and shield with a dumbstruck smile he started to walk the opposite direction, straight back into Harpy territory.

Corona looked high, scanning the skyline of anything that carried wings. She saw nothing. She started to hear the pleasant hum that suddenly increased in its volume and realised what it was.

She cupped her hands over her ears in protest, as if willing herself to stay awake. She saw Luna drop his weapons in great dismay, his eyes glazed over the Harpies song.

"Master, cover your ears!" It was useless; he could no longer hear her. He dropped to his knees in the middle of the pathway, a distance from her.

"Master, no!" She cried out once more pleading with him to listen to her.

He could hear nothing, his head swayed as if he was tired. If not to make it worse, low sounding screeches could be heard further up the mountainside. They were heading back.

"Luna!" She cried in pure desperation.

He stopped swaying and for a moment, his eyes lit up. He realised what was going on but could still feel the heavy effects of the song. He quickly reached his hands over to his pouch and rummaged for the herb Bringabout, and started to grind the herb with his teeth, trying to sap the juice from the plant.

He had to act quickly; there was no time to grind it with anything else.

He could feel the blood rushing into his legs again, gathering the strength to lift himself on his feet.

He struggled to stand but Corona aided his side, by putting his arm over her shoulder, lifting a part of his weight. They moved as quickly as possible down the slope, picking up his sword and shield on the way. The song ending and slowly a new crescendo of screeches made their way towards them.

They moved as quickly as they could, still struggling with his debilitation. They even used the wall of the cliff as support in order to move faster and soon they could see in the near distance The Mountain Waycastle that stood guard of the very border between high alpine death and the familiar warmth of home.

They could hear them high above, still giving chase. The men below saw the weary travellers and then saw the large swarm looming over the two. Archers quickly stood guard, formed ranks and started to loose arrows into the large body of the swarm, hitting a few out of the sky. They loosed arrow after arrow as the covered the retreat of Corona and Luna. Soon, the swarm dispersed, flying high into the mountain once more, into their territory.

The two crossed the bridge signifying the end of the chase. Luna had regained control of his legs and Corona had started to sift through her pouches for curatives; anything that would heal their cuts and bruises faster. The armed guards at the end of the bridge readily welcomed the two travellers.

A tall man, with a large grey moustache of gruff exterior greeted the two, donning the simple arms and colours of the Duke.

"Quite a close call," He spoke in a low and deep tone.

"Yeah, thank you for the aid." Luna spoke up, trying to hide his face, but thought it rude not to face his saviours.

The man's face lit up in recognition, donning a much more sincere smile.

"Anything to help the Arisen!" As he spoke those words, the men started to whisper.

Luna once again gave his thanks and headed into the small camp they had. He sat down away from the men, beside a tree. They wasted a lot of time up on that mountain, and a large number of harpies were abnormal in any case. It was concerning to know that there was a large nest of them hidden up on those mountains. Monsters seemed to cling on to that mountain side, concerning the young man. They were fewer in number years prior, why now did they flock to the mountain? Questions that had no answer, just like how they seem to have managed to survive. It was a struggle fending them off. If they carried on like this it would be impossible to complete this mission and back to Gran Soren in time.

Corona sat next to him, plopping herself down, and quickly tending to his wounds. She stayed silent, as she focused on her work before her.

Luna was still in his thoughts when he finally noticed Corona sat next to him, caring for his wounds.

"I can do that. You should tend to your wounds." Luna gestured to her, but she kept still, tending to his wounds.

"You are injured Master." She simply said, earning a slight grimace from Luna.

"You're calling me Master again…"

Corona looked up to meet his eyes, "I'm sorry." She apologized.

Luna was taken aback at the apology. "What for?"

"I wasn't useful to you. I almost got you killed. It is my duty to protect the Arisen and I-"

Luna cut her off, gently placing a finger over her lips to silence her. She stopped what she was doing in surprise.

"I should be the one saying sorry. I almost got you killed." He apologized, a sincere smile placed on his lips.

Corona was confused. Why should he apologize?

"I cannot die Mast- Luna… It is you that is made from flesh and bone that could die."

Luna just smiled "But I still don't want to see you get hurt."

Corona was still confused. She was just a pawn. She doesn't understand why there would be cause for concern for her well-being. It is she, which should be apologizing. The Arisen is the one that should be protected. She was merely a tool to further the Arisens efforts in defeating the dragon.

"But-"

"No buts," He cut her off, in a stern manner. "Now let me look at your wounds." He started to inspect her, making sure that she wasn't more fatally wounded. For the most part, she was fine. She had already taken care of most of the deeper cuts and even then, they weren't life threatening.

He was glad. Although he knew that pawns couldn't die and they would be merely sent back into the rift, it didn't stop him from caring about the pawns under his command. To him, they were still people, no matter how different they may be. Corona was a pawn directly linked to him. Somewhere in his mind, he had an image of her being and she came to him. So, there was more to her than just a simple pawn, even if she may not understand.

The two stayed in the camp for a moment, making sure to take bearing and restock and recheck supply. They would still need to travel further west if they were to make it to the healing spring. After all they did have a quest to complete. However, over time the whispers returned, and some troops not holding the same positive sentiment towards the Arisen.

"He's supposed to be the Arisen? He came in here looking like crap! We're doomed…"

"He couldn't even fight off Harpies'. How is he meant to fight the Wyrm?"

"Doesn't he look rather short and skinny? I was expecting a hulking man the size of ogres."

"Why is he wearing such little armour? No wonder those Harpies thought him easy prey."

There words droned on and on. The expectation of the Arisen is too great for one man alone, let alone someone who was only a boy growing into manhood. That was the sentiment passed on to camp. In this camp full of the Duke's finest, only Corona was his ally.

Something about those men talking down to Luna hadn't set right with Corona. She was visibly more and more irritated, which was a first. Not many things would irritate Corona, but somehow when they talk about the Arisen in this way she could feel the disrespect in their tone. She was about to raise her voice in protest, but was stopped by Luna. He shook his head, wanting to keep the damage minimal.

This was one of the few reasons why Luna hadn't wanted to show his face. His recognition not only brought aid, but also all of the unpleasantness of immense expectation.

A single voice bellowed over the camp. "At least he survived that ordeal." It was the same gruff man with the large grey moustache that greeted them.

"Not many of you could survive with only sword and shield in hand." The camp went silent. "A company of men past by our Waycastle, and not one returned."

He looked to the men in the camp, staring them in the eyes. "I know a few men that came from this Waycastle that were protected by numbers, but returned with fewer men than they started."

"You want to judge this man?" He silently referred to Luna, emphasising his point.

"He escaped with his companion at the worst of those attacks and you tell me he is weak? None of us here have ever seen an attack of that scale and survive to tell the tale. This man has slain the Hydra, garnered the support of the Pawn Legion and you tell me he isn't fit to be Arisen?" He looked once more to the men at camp. "You are more a fool than I thought."

The large man looked to Luna, and gave a small smile and a wink, leaving the two to attend to matters at camp. Luna silently thanked him, and soon the speculative whispers of the Arisen ended.

Luna and Corona would have to leave the camp soon and head further west towards Aernst Castle. They would be glad to put some distance between this place and them, seeing as most men of the camp dislike him, already thinking him lesser. It would not be an easy trip, but nothing was ever easy in Gransys.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Having left the Mountain Waycastle, Luna made sure to thank that gruff looking man, and ask for his name.

"Name's Jannik," He once again spoke in a low deep voice.

Luna extended his hand in appreciation for his kind words. "Pleasure to meet you,"

"The pleasure's all mine!" He took the young man's hand in an iron like grip, as he placed a large smile over his bushy beard.

Not many would openly give his opinion to such a large crowd of men, especially when your opinion is the only one heard in front of many. I suppose he would have made many enemies for an unlikely stranger but he seems like a kind enough man.

With all that said their meeting was quickly ended with a rush of goodbyes. He's sure they will most likely meet again, and he hopes to. Not many good men are left throughout this kingdom.

~x~

The two walked on and on. Soon they would be at the encampment of the Dukes recruited force to fight the Wyrm. He knew some that have already given up hope, running far from the dragon, taking refuge in nearby kingdoms, but all share the same opinion. It was futile to run from the Dragon.

The brave few that volunteered only expected patrols, and the minimum that is expected of a rural soldier. It was almost an impossibility to face the Wyrm, but now that it has come to darken their skies, their fear of the real possibility of having to face such a great creature is approaching day by day.

However, that day is yet to come, and so Luna and Corona basked in the afternoon light. There was no use in worrying about time, when it steadily moved past them whether they wanted to or not. And so they thought to enjoy the gentle sea breeze that was felt between the two.

"Can you feel that? We are nearing Cassardis." Luna spoke, a soft and warm tone as he mentioned home.

Corona was curious. It was in her nature. Although she wasn't human, and did not understand the complex intricacies of human emotions, she still wondered what life was like for her Master. She has seen it once or twice already, but she had never specifically asked him of his home.

"Master, what was your life like before becoming Arisen?" She asked

Luna looked back slightly as they walked down the winding dirt path towards Cassardis.

He thought for a moment, "Cassardis is a fishing village. There isn't much excitement or adventure when you're stuck there." He reminisced, earning the interest of a certain silver haired woman.

"Life was easy, there was plenty of fish and we were protected. I guess being a fishing village meant that we could support the kingdom and that was important to the Duke, but my life wasn't complicated." He carried on.

"In fact the most exciting that would happen to a fisher man is how big his catch was for the day." He smiled at all the old faces he remembered. How they poke fun at small fish and big fish alike but there was never any malice.

The village was large, but everyone knew each other. It was like a large extended family and in his case, it was. If he wasn't wrong almost a good portion of the village was his cousin, uncle or aunt.

He smiled to himself, continuing in telling his story, Corona's interest piqued.

He was close to a particular cousin. Her name was Quina. Although they were close now, they weren't as close before. They would get themselves into trouble as they picked fights at one another, heading to the church every week, as the village massed, they would sit opposite each other, making faces, much to the displeasure of the priest.

"How did you get so close?" She asked, interested in his relationship with Quina.

"How did we get so close?" He thought for a moment, remembering the exact reason why. I guess it was because he got into a lot of trouble.

"We were young, and the village boys started to pick on Quina." Luna started, once again capturing Corona's attention.

They were your everyday bully, a small gang of three, and safety in numbers thought they could get away with anything. Quina was heading back from the market, carrying a basket of apples when the boys attacked her, cornering her. It was by chance that Luna saw the boys picking on her and he thought it best to intervene.

He picked a fight with the biggest of the three and it didn't really end particularly well. He punched and kicked but ultimately, he was just too small then. They started to kick him into the dirt, relentless in their attack before Quina tried to stop them, garnering a bruise to the side of her cheek. After seeing that, Luna was filled with anger that he stood up from all the kids and singlehandedly, beat the biggest bully. He could never really remember how he did, but since then, the two became close.

Luna realised just how much of a trouble maker he was after retelling this story with his companion. It put a smile to his face.

"Where is she now?" Corona asked.

Luna's smile subsided, turning more into a sombre look.

"After the Dragon attacked she went to the church, searching for answers that could help me."

Corona did not know what sadness felt like, but she had seen it many times from their travels and realised that broaching that particular subject brought undesired memories.

"Even back then you caused so much trouble…" Corona said in a passing remark. She hoped that it would remove the tense expression her Master wore.

Luna took mock offence "Hey, I was practically a hero!" he mused.

Corona made a small giggle at his jest.

Luna smiled "So you do know how to laugh" It was the first time he heard her laugh during their time together.

It was pleasant.

Corona thought on it for a moment and realised that he was right. He somehow managed to make her laugh. Corona didn't really get a lot of jokes from people and so always made a dry expression when one was said.

It made her think of something she heard in passing. She heard whispers of it but the idea of it was so foreign that she had made a note of it, and ever since then had always wanted to share it with her Master.

"What is the difference between snowmen and snowwomen?"

Luna pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what she's trying to insinuate.

"I give up. What is it?"

She deadpanned, replying with, "Snowballs,"

Luna wasn't expecting her to reply with that and so with her added expression, Luna burst out in a fit of laughter that was quite unexpected. His laughter subsided after a few moments looking towards a confused and surprised Corona.

"Was it something I said?"

~x~

It wasn't long before they would reach the nearby Encampment, but there mission wasn't there. They would head west towards Aernst Castle.

On their way up they passed an abandoned mine heading straight to a tall hill surrounded by a lush green forest. It's filled with so much life from the insects flying to the fruits and berries on trees and bushes. If you could recognize specific plants, you'd be able to tell which ones are safe and which ones give some form of debilitation.

Of course Corona picked up what she knew and stored them into her pouches, grabbing anything from nuts to potent herbs. It always baffles Luna how curious Corona really is. When she looked on, her eyes held a sense of wonder that was almost endless, but deep down, she seemed 'empty'. Like the very life from her was stolen. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that she was almost similar to a doll.

He was told how much Humans and Pawns had differed from one another by a man named Rook, a previous Pawn under his service. Luna was told that they do not have that spark of humanity; that they do not possess the same wants and needs as humans but still share a few traits. Such as the need for food, but others were so different. They do not hold any ambition and was probably why they were useful to keep as guards; you can't buy the loyalty of others when you don't have the same innate trait such as jealousy or greed.

Corona turned to Luna as she picked an item, showing it to Luna. It seemed to be a rusty dagger; just a simple hunk of metal that many warriors may have used in battles past, Luna didn't really know how useful it would be but the look on Corona's face made him concede in keeping the rusted blade.

As they were heading up the steep hill, they noticed eyes were upon them. A low growl echoed around them as hurried footsteps ran circles around the pair, the rustling of bushes giving away their number and where they were.

The two stopped in their tracks, a shrill howl echoed around them as a wolf pounced on top of Luna, pinning him to the ground. Corona was unable to aid him quickly due to two other wolves blocking her path.

Luna struggled on as Corona was helpless in being able to aid her Master. Luna held the wolf back by pushing against its shoulders, holding on to it, trying in vain to push it off of him. The wolf was strong and large, seemingly the alpha of the pack. Luna tried to pry the wolf's jaw open, attempting to stop it from taking a bite from him, but in his attempt, its sharp dagger like teeth clamped over his forearm, closing its large muscular jaws down, as if it was a bear trap keeping it in place. The wolf bit down hard, swaying Luna's arm in a mad frenzy, trying to rip the very limb from his body

Luna wailed as he felt the wolf's teeth sear into his flesh. He wore metal forearm guards, but there was still soft tissue exposed to those dagger like teeth, and he could feel every tooth as the wolf kept biting and biting over and over almost eager at the taste of his blood running into his dry and hungry throat.

Corona could hear his screams of agony as she was once again left helpless, with more wolves slowly circling round her. They all had that same hungry look, the look of fresh meat close in their grasp and they could not wait to taste it. Corona kept her eyes on her surroundings, careful not to be caught off guard. She knew she was surrounded, but had to watch for when one of them will strike.

As if on cue, she heard a sharp bark before one tried to pounce behind her. She quickly twisted her body, using her momentum to swing her shield hard onto the wolf's snout, knocking the beast back into the brush where she managed to daze him. However, another attack followed but she was too slow to catch the attack and so was left to defend her right side with a swift kick, desperate to stop the attack; however the wolf managed to knock her sword from her grasp only leaving her shield to defend herself.

She was left in a dangerous situation and if she could not break out of this encirclement, her Master would fall.

Luna struggled under the weight of this massive beast above him. He tried punching the wolf's snout which held no affect, and only seemed to increase the wolf's ire and bit down harder onto his arm. He tried to reach for his sword but was too far from him and could only touch it with the tips of his fingers. The wolf knew better and seemed experienced in dealing with swords, because the wolf started to drag him by the arm further and further away from his blade.

If this kept going further, Luna would lose his arm. He reached for anything, grasping at his belt feeling himself over for something. He gripped at a hilt of some sort, and remembered the rusted dagger Corona gave to him. He held onto it tightly, sliding it out of his belt and drew the blade lifting it as high as he could muster, plunging down into the wolf's throat, as he pulled it out of the wolfs flesh only to plunge it into the wolf over and over until blood splayed onto the ground and over himself. He felt the tension in the wolf's jaw loosen further as he kept digging the dagger over and over into the mutt.

The wolf let go of Luna's arm giving Luna the opportunity to kick the wolf in its belly finally free from its grasp. Luna stood quickly and stared at the wolf in the eyes. The wolf once gazed at Luna as weak prey, but now its vision blurs attacking blindly while Luna quickly rolled to dodge its attack reclaiming his sword in one fell swoop.

The wolf could no longer see his prey but attacked anyway, in the attempt to catch its weakened prey off balance, but Luna was ready. The wolf bounded over to Luna trying to use its immense size to overpower him but Luna quickly stepped to his side, swinging his blade, running its sharp edge along the wolf's flesh, as it left a large gash to its side leaving the wolf slumped over dead as it landed next to him.

Corona swelled in pride as she saw him singlehandedly defeat the dreaded beast. She then took this opportunity and dashed forward with her shield, bashing it into one of the wolves knocking it back, breaking free from her encirclement to regroup with Luna.

Now that they were together, they could defeat these wolves easily. The wolves tried to attack but with the two together, they were able to stop them one by one. As one wolf attacked, Corona defended the both of them and Luna dealt the finishing blow as he slashed his blade down onto the remaining wolves. It was defend, attack; defend, attack as one by one the wolves dwindled in number, leaving only Corona and Luna stood above the wolves corpses, triumphant in their defeat, but battered by the wolves blows.

Luna slumped down, dropping to the ground exhausted as his arm bled over; the mixture of his blood and the wolves overpowering stench was at least a sign of victory. He dropped his sword and lay on the ground splayed over as his chest rose and fell, his breathing haggard.

Corona quickly sat beside Luna, opening her medicine pouch trying to look for clean cloth and a mixture of herbs and curatives. She quickly poured Cloudwine over the wound while Luna quickly grasping with the little strength he had, took the rest of the bottle from Corona's deft hands, taking mouthfuls of the wine to at least relieve some of the pain.

Corona ground up some Greenwarish with her teeth pushing it into the wound quickly wrapping it with clean cloth. She had some Greenwarish left over and made sure to feed it to him.

"Thank you Corona…" Luna spoke meekly as he held a weak smile. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Corona could do nothing more than just watch him, lying weakly beside the road. She was in the least bit useful. It would take more than a day to gather his strength again, Arisen or not. As she was tending to his wounds, she saw the devastation the wolf left on her Masters arm. It would be useless if he was not to gain the proper rest, and the only way to do that was to find shelter.

If she were to head back down the hill, there would be an abandoned mine shaft where they could hole up at least until day break. She would not be able to carry him and all of their equipment back to the encampment even if she wanted to. She also couldn't go to the encampment to find help lest she leave him here for bandits or any other manner of beast.

Her only solution was to head back down, and watch over him in the mine shaft.

~x~

It was hard carrying both of their equipment and Luna over her shoulder but she had no choice. She couldn't lose her Master here.

She saw the entrance of the mine as she tentatively opened the mine door. It was dark which was to no surprise. She gently placed her exhausted Master against the wall, taking extra care of his injury. She took her lamp from her pack to hook onto her belt. She looked back at her Master one last time before she went further in to scout the area.

She took careful and silent steps as she drew her sword and shield in the tight entrance of the mine. As she walked on she spotted a large jar of oil. That would be useful should she run out of fuel for her lamp. However, as she kept moving she could hear voices.

"I'm just saying that ever since the dragon attacked, we could take that little village without having to fight the guard!"

"These mine entrances lead straight to the village without alarming suspicion of heavily armed men." Another voice rose.

"We don't know what's in there! Going in blindly will only result in all our deaths."

"I agree with Tomas, we all heard the strange noises deep in these mines. It would mean are deaths should we investigate further. I say we keep attacking caravans on the road and earn our living from that."

Corona turned the corner and realised there was light. It seemed to be a small store room no doubt for the miners that were once here. It seems these men are bandits.

She snuck deeper and peered through the little window and saw inside the four armed men. One held a bow, another held onto a sword and shield and the other two carried dual daggers. She could easily take the archer and perhaps the dagger twins but her real problem was how was she going to separate them from the shield bearer.

She was trying to think of a plan when she noticed the oil trail leading into the mines. She also remembered the jar of oil back towards the entrance. She quickly formulated a plan and had an idea as to how handle her enemies.

She remembered this from an encounter Luna and her once had. I believe he called it Dragon's Spit. He said when thrown, it would burst into flame and was mainly used for mining ore, but he used it for a far more dangerous and powerful weapon. She remembered that Luna carried Flammica with him and all she needed was rocks which weren't very hard to find.

She quickly went to work, taking the Flammica from his pack and started to combine the two items to form the desired object. After making said object, she went to fill a flask full of oil from the jar she spotted as she was coming in. All she had to do now was to put her plan into place.

She stood near the storeroom as she took a deep breath. She wouldn't have the aid of her Master and should she fail, he would be in grave danger. Failing was not an option.

She took her sword and shield and bashed them loudly garnering the attention of the four men. They quickly drew arms swinging the door open to see a woman with silver hair stood with her weapons wide open.

One of the men pointed their weapons at her "Who the hell are you!?"

Corona quickly threw her flask of oil into the face of the archer leaving him blind for a moment before the men realised she was attacking. She quickly got into a stance and bashed one of the weaker men to the ground with her shield as she took out the Dragon's Spit in her hand.

The men hadn't realised they had walked into a trap and before they realised it, there was a huge flame engulfing them, trapping them from escape as the archer caught fire the easiest leaving only one of the dagger users and the Shield bearer.

Her plan worked. She was hoping to at least kill three of them with that one attack but now she had no choice but to fight a two on one battle. Remember what Master said; take the weakest out first.

The dagger user spun his body around as if becoming a whirlwind razor. Corona easily blocked his attack which left him open to a counter where she quickly sliced him from his shoulder downwards following up with another strike to the abdomen, finishing him off with a quick shield bash.

The only opponent left was the shield user. He looks more experienced than the rest of his band. Perhaps even a deserter.

The two faced each other, locking eyes as they stared their opponent down.

"I will make you pay for their deaths, girl!" He roared in anger as he came to swing his sword down hard.

Corona could do nothing but defend herself as she waited for an opening to attack him. She took the heavy onslaught to her shield as she tried to keep solid footing, being slightly pushed back blow after blow. Only one of two outcomes can end this.

If she were to succeed in holding back his attack, she could launch a counter and attain a chance at victory, but were she to fail at her defence, and lose her footing; she would be open to attack herself.

He kept hammering down onto her shield but she could feel him slow in his movements. All she had to do was to keep her form and made ready for an opportunity. His blows lessened its weight in his strikes and only served to fuel her confidence, now all she had to do was attack.

She poised herself to attack and was about to strike when he followed up his last moves with an unexpected shield bash, leaving her dazed and off centre. She had no way to defend herself, leaving her open for attack. The bandit saw the opportunity and quickly slashed at her, as Corona felt a familiar searing pain to her arm.

Before the bandit could deal the final blow, Corona stumbled backward only lucky enough to get away from his reach, leaving a gash on her sword arm.

Even if she was still alive, she was once again rendered useless to her Master, she would die here and her Master would soon follow due to her incompetence.

"I hope you're ready to die girl."

Corona could do nothing at his overpowering presence; she could feel the end come for her. Even if she were to fall here, she would only be reminded in her failure to protect her Master as she would be left to wander in the deep abyss called the Rift, only to serve another Master.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, something beckoned her not to lose hope. Not to give in, and not to let her Master die. She grabbed her sword with her good hand, gripping the hilt tightly as the bandit was about to strike, she aimed the tip of her sword straight up, as his full body weight pushed him deep into her sword.

She could feel hot blood on her hands the blood trickled onto her sword. She pushed off the dead bandit pulling her sword from his corpse and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Only then did she notice the sharp stinging sensation to her side. It seems a sizable gash was made at his final blow.

She made to stand up as she limped back to Luna careful, not to put any undue stress on her abdomen. She even saw the gash made to her forearm; thankfully the cut wasn't made too deep. Her solace was in knowing that she had at least protected her Master and now they can get some much needed respite.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 _I'm really sorry this took so ling to come out and I must also apologise for this short chapter. I was away from my keyboard for about a month because I had only recently returned from an amazing trip back home. Thank you for understanding and those of you that are still reading I hope you'll forgive me. Now onto the next chapter!_

* * *

Luna came to lying on a hard wood table noticing a shadowed form of a silver haired woman sitting beside him. Her head lay down next to him as she gripped his hand with her soft touch. She was as exhausted as I was.

He made to stand up and realised the injuries to his arm. They were well taken care of, no doubt from Corona.

He motioned to move off the table but in his movement, he stirred Corona awake.

"Master, you are awake!" She stiffened up her back; caught by surprise only to wince. She put a hand to her side and Luna noticed the wrappings made to her torso and forearm. Immediately, he slid off the side of the table and was at her side, checking over her wound, worry expressed over his features.

Luna examined her forearm, gently checking over her wounds his eyes drifting to her midriff where he can see the newly dressed bandages. It will hold but it was clear to his eyes that they were hastily done. In absentmindedness, his fingers drift to her abdomen, feeling over the bandages as if he could see the very injuries his fingers led him.

Corona wasn't excepting him to feel her abdomen and involuntarily twitched at his touch. Luna hadn't noticed and continued to examine her injuries. Corona didn't really know why, but perhaps this was what humans called embarrassment? She did not like it; it felt odd to, leaving a foreign feeling.

Luna looked up to see two different yet beautiful looking orbs; one blue and one amber, looking over his own hazel eyes. The two were locked in each other's stare, holding a moment of silence between them. They had no words and were seemingly dazed by the other's seemingly close proximity.

It was Luna that first broke the silence, quickly realising the stupor he was in.

"Where are we? How did we get here?" He stood up and surveyed the room, attempting to at least change the subject and lessen the flush of red around his cheeks.

Corona pulled back a strand of her hair as she tries to regain her composure. "You fell unconscious, so I took us here. We're at an abandoned mine shaft."

Luna examined the room more closely and noticed how dilapidated the room was. It seemed to have held a few personal effects that did not seem to belong to the mine shaft. There was a one large table where he was lying in, just moments before, and a few burlap sacks and barrels probably carrying food and supplies from the previous owners.

Luna looked over to Corona and was reminded of her injuries. He was sure she wasn't injured in the wolves' attacks yet she sustains injuries beyond his knowledge. He gestures to her injuries once more.

"How did you get those injuries? They don't look like wolf bites."

"There were bandits upon our arrival. I fought the brigands to call this our own." She replied.

Luna looked surprised and impressed. His happiness soured when he realised he left her in danger. He was even surprised to find himself here to rest. He knew she was strong, stronger than most men let alone most women, but he was nevertheless worried about her. He chastised himself in looking like a fool and left her to fight alone.

"You should have just left me there." Luna looked away from Corona, his eyes darken and his voice hinting anger. Corona looked confused, and was almost baffled at what she heard, that she asked him again.

"I said, you should have just ran and left me there." Luna turned to her, anger in his eyes as he looked over his injured companion. If she hadn't carried him here, she wouldn't have been left in so much danger.

"You should have ran and took cover somewhere else, anywhere that didn't put you in danger!" Luna raised his voice, raising concerns for her safety.

"I don't understand, why would I leave you?" Corona was even more confused, and slightly getting more agitated.

"If I wasn't such a burden, you wouldn't have gotten injured!" Luna was angry at Corona for not leaving him there. She should have just left him to die.

Corona was getting more and more agitated, her anger boiling over. "Why would I ever leave you there!?" She stood up from her seat, facing Luna, her voice trembling in anger.

"It is my duty to protect and serve the Arisen, not to stand idly by as I watch my Master die in front of me, when I had the power to save him!" Corona was furious at his stupidity, placing her safety above his, when it should be the other way around. Even if she were to fall, all that would happen is her physical being, placed back into the Rift where she can be summoned once more.

Luna looked at her incredulously, surprised at her anger but none the less argued back with her. "It may be your duty to protect me, but it's my duty to protect those under my command, whether Pawn or Man!"

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been injured in the first place." He gestured to her injuries, as if that was evidence enough for her to retreat from this argument. Sadly, this was not the case.

"And what of you?" She questioned him, gesturing to his slew of injuries. "You speak of me needing great care, when you are just as injured, if not more!"

Corona was angry and confused, not a great combination in keeping a clear head. She could not understand his insistence in keeping her safe, when she was born to protect and die for the Arisen.

"I do not understand why you insist on keeping me safe, when you are destined to face a greater danger. You should be concerned for your own safety!" Corona replied in anger.

Luna was left without words as he could only mutter "Because…!"

"Because of what!?" Corona questioned in anger.

Luna was silent, his face contorted into something uncomfortable.

"Why?" Corona asked once more, her anger subsiding slightly.

She was only met with silence, which agitated her more.

"Why?" She raised her voice emphasising her question as to why he needs to give her great care.

Luna could no longer keep it in, "Because I care about you! Isn't that enough to want to keep someone from harm?"

Corona was left speechless. She did not know how to reply, but her anger only boiled, leaving Luna with her surprising reply.

"You need to stop caring." Corona's expression was unreadable; she had no emotion to her at all, more so than usual.

Luna was now the one confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Corona looked into his eyes and replied, "I am nothing more than a tool to serve and protect you. I cannot give you anything more." Her voice was colder; it was as if she was a completely different person.

Luna could not understand why she was saying this and as if she could read his thoughts, gave him an answer.

"You have but one mission; to slay the dragon and bring peace to the world. You cannot pursue anything else." Corona then turned away from him to sit on the furthest side of the room, tending to her injuries once more, signaling the end of the conversation and argument in total.

Luna was left standing there, dumb struck at what just happened. He couldn't process what he had just heard. She was hard to read at times, but she was harder to read now more than ever. He had so many questions and little in the way of answers. It was frustrating. He didn't want to end it this way, but Corona did not look to be in a talkative mood, but he needed to make his point clear to her either way.

"Why can't I pursue something else? Why can I not look for something more between us?" Luna tried to coerce Corona into an answer but she remained quiet, dejected from giving him an answer. Luna watched as she kept her eyes from meeting his, her lips formed into straight line, her refusal clear.

He spoke on, "Do you remember the first time we met? The first time you came into being?" He asked her, her silence insistent. The first time he had ever laid eyes on her, was at the Duke's encampment and was his second time seeing a Rift stone. She hopped out of that portal, as if dragged into this world, her very being a mystery. She opened her eyes to reveal two very different colours, a bright blue that could reflect the brightest sea and sky; the other, a deep amber, one that burned itself like the evening hours of the setting sun; her hair, the colour of silver, glistening like stars in the sky, and her skin pale as the moon itself, clear and radiant, a beauty that could rival even the young princess of House Biquard. She was truly a beauty to all who saw her.

"I remember asking you for your name…" he reminisces, forming a small smile, "You told me, you didn't have one so I thought to call you Corona, the glimmer of sunlight that brightened in the darkness; a ray of hope." Corona looked up to meet his eyes, her expression unreadable. "In my mind, you were perfect. How could I not want something more?"

Corona didn't know how to answer him, letting a silence fall between the two, as he stood there gazing at her, with hurt eyes. She could not let his hopes grow. She was nothing more than a tool, a Pawn. A being to protect and serve the Arisen, through the toughest of trials or painful of paths, it was her duty to help him fulfil his destiny.

"Luna, no, Master," Luna's eyes held more pain as she corrected herself, calling him Master the very thing he asked her not to do. "I am nothing more than a tool to serve you. It is my duty to see your quest fulfilled." Corona was soft in her words, a hidden pain held through her eyes, as she kept her sorrow hidden. She felt an unfamiliar sorrow as she spoke these words, and could not find as to why she was feeling these things.

Luna didn't see her as a tool. Nor did he want her to see herself as a tool. He felt great sadness whenever she referred to herself as one. She was more than that. Through the rare moments where she would smile and laugh, which was evidence enough to show her that she was more than a tool. She always showed great compassion when undertaking any trial, once more; evidence enough of her being more than tool. She was more than what she saw herself to be and it broke his heart to her this way.

Corona couldn't give him the companionship he was looking for. The only thing she could do for him is break his hopes of something more. It was the least she could do for him.

"It would be best to rest for now Master. We still have our injuries to heal." Corona lay on the ground, using one of the burlap sacks in the room as a pillow, falling to sleep or to at least rest her mind on other things than now.

Luna could do nothing more and so sat on the opposite side of the room, taking one of the burlap sacks as a pillow and laying his head to rest, hoping to at least catch some peace in his dreams.

~x~

The two set out early from their makeshift resting place; grabbing their gear, equipping their armour and headed out the door in complete silence. Clearly last nights 'conversation' wasn't easily forgotten especially after the way the argument ended. It was clear how much the argument held impact when they started trekking up the hill all over again, in an uncomfortable silence that weighed the two down. Corona was keeping her distance from Luna, and not just figuratively but physically, by staying well behind Luna as they kept walking further up. Luna could do nothing but sigh as they set off in silence; more apart than 'together' than when they first started this journey.

As Luna kept walking he kept thinking about last night, and what was said between the two of them. He knew that the argument was stupid in the first place, all he had to do was thank her and they could have avoided this unpleasant situation. He said some unnecessary things and those words made him mentally and physically cringe… It wasn't his brightest moment. His concern weren't unwarranted but perhaps he could have handled it better, but now he doesn't know what to do, this situation almost seems hopeless to him, actively thinking of a way to reconcile with Corona and somehow to the way things were.

While Luna walked aimlessly ahead, Corona stared at his back with so much force that if she stared any harder, she could have bore holes into the back of him. She couldn't help but feel awkward and disappointed when thinking about the argument from last night. It was his fault for being too caring towards her. He should know better than to care for a Pawn. They were nothing more than tools to an end… But some part of her was happy that he had cared so much for her, even if that happiness was masked behind anger and in hindsight should have been a little less heavy handed when expressing her words. She thought more on what he said, and she honestly thought he was being careless of himself and perhaps a bit stupid to suggest her leaving him behind. He should know better than to ask that of her, it really irked her.

She thought about the words she used, _'You need to stop caring,'_

Something about those words made her feel worse. It was almost contradictory to what she wanted. What Luna wanted was something she could never fill; he wanted something more from their relationship and it was almost impossible to ask that of her. She knew nothing of the concept he seems to be trying to convey to her and furthermore, a relationship like that would only strain the mission they were meant to fulfil. It was a useless endeavour for both parties involved. She stopped in her thoughts for a moment to once again stare at the back of Luna, where he still wondered aimlessly, up the hill.

A small shift under their feet roused the two from their thoughts as they could hear rocks between them rumble down the slope as the ground shook more and more leaving them wondering as to what could it be. Corona saw it first; it was a large boulder, hurtling towards them as it hit the side of the slope erratically bouncing up from the sudden bumps in direction.

She had no time to shout anything but the words, "Look out!" As she jumped onto Luna pushing the two out of the direction of the rock, as another bounce kicked the boulder high enough to completely miss the couple. The two looked onward as the boulder leapt up and broke into pieces as it ended its journey at the bottom of the hill.

Corona lay on top of Luna as the two took the time to regain their senses, shocked at how close the boulder was to ending their adventure.

The two looked at each other as Corona's weight pressed down on Luna, his hands unconsciously supporting Corona's back, keeping her close. She looked down at Luna, surprise evident on his face as he stared back at her aqua blue and hazel yellow eyes, with her expression the same as his. They just lay there, unmoving as they stared at each other. It was almost as if the argument they had the night before was left to nothing.

It was Corona that broke out of her stupor first, she propped herself up using Luna to stand up. Luna quickly followed her, as he tried to regain his composure.

"Thank you… For saving me." Luna spoke as he dusted himself off, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.

Corona kept her eyes away from him as she merely nodded, the first one to walk onwards to their mission. Luna just sighed as he followed her. This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

 _I'm sorry for the chapter being short. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, I really am sorry. I also realised I ended this chapter on a sour note... :( Please forgive me! XD_


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